Analyst Claims Two Apple Tablets Coming, One With 6-Inch Screen

[peterdevries]

I've had 12" PowerBook, 15" MBP, 13" MBA and i would not endure a 10" widescreen tablet/subnotebook.

Anyhow - apple is not releasing anything for a niche. It will be for the mass market. And it really has to have a keyboard. There is no point in releasing an increased size iphone/touch-brother without a keyboard. that is the only shortcoming for a productivity tool.

An onscreen keyboard makes more and more sense the bigger the screen gets. You get more accurate typing and less obstruction of elements on the screen. There is as yet no indication whether this tablet will be media oriented or productivity oriented. It would make sense that it would be media oriented (e-books, on-demand movies, AppleTV functionality), as the market would possibly be larger. There are already productivity oriented tablets around such as the modbook, and they do serve only a tiny niche.

 

[thephysicist]

Rumor or speculation?

please stop making macrumors an "apple-engadget" site

 

[dernhelm]

Gotta love a company that can throw up this much smoke. It's an art form, and Apple has perfected it.

And it really has to have a keyboard. There is no point in releasing an increased size iphone/touch-brother without a keyboard. that is the only shortcoming for a productivity tool.

Ship with Bluetooth, and you won't need a keyboard. On the go, use touch. Sitting at your desk, use your keyboard.

 

[peterdevries]

Gotta love a company that can throw up this much smoke. It's an art form, and Apple has perfected it.

well, for all we know they are all having drinking games with Steve at Infinite Loop, laughing at the stupid tablet rumors that some schmuck threw in the media, while they continue working on a machine that can induce orgasms without touching oneself. (for some on this board an Apple tablet might actually be able to do just that, although unintentionally )

 

[jmpage2]

spec⋅u⋅la⋅tion
  /ˌspɛkyəˈleɪʃən/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [spek-yuh-ley-shuhn] Show IPA
Use speculation in a Sentence
–noun
1. the contemplation or consideration of some subject: to engage in speculation on humanity's ultimate destiny.
2. a single instance or process of consideration.
3. a conclusion or opinion reached by such contemplation: These speculations are impossible to verify.
4. conjectural consideration of a matter; conjecture or surmise: a report based on speculation rather than facts.
5. engagement in business transactions involving considerable risk but offering the chance of large gains, esp. trading in commodities, stocks, etc., in the hope of profit from changes in the market price.
6. a speculative commercial venture or undertaking.

ru⋅mor
  /ˈrumər/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [roo-mer] Show IPA
Use rumor in a Sentence
–noun
1. a story or statement in general circulation without confirmation or certainty as to facts: a rumor of war.
2. gossip; hearsay: Don't listen to rumor.
3. Archaic. a continuous, confused noise; clamor; din.

Yes, I see your point, these have absolutely no similarity whatsoever.

 

[rdowty]

Enough already!!!

Agreed, The whole thing is getting old. I think the annalist's track record on these things is pretty bad. I understand its a rumor site but these guys aren't even close to credible.

 

[dernhelm]

well, for all we know they are all having drinking games with Steve at Infinite Loop, laughing at the stupid tablet rumors that some schmuck threw in the media,

Sure does feel that way, doesn't it? I still can't figure out what I would want a tablet for that I couldn't already do on a laptop or an iPod touch. And it could just be me, but this does feel like a large elaborate joke....

while they continue working on a machine that can induce orgasms without touching oneself. (for some on this board an Apple tablet might actually be able to do just that, although unintentionally )

Apple always does seem to come up with hardware/software that evokes squeals of joy from many people, don't they...

 

[jbellanca]

I am ignorant in the area of tablets. Can someone please explain what advantages a tablet has over Apple's 13" laptops? Please, someone make a list.

Just one for me - No keyboard. I hate having a physical keyboard laying around on my MacBook when all I want to do is read a book on it (regular or comic), browse the web or watch a movie. Especially because it allows me to use it in portrait mode without the keyboard on it's side.

 

[macjonny1]

Does anyone think these tablets might compete with the Kindle and other devices? It would be way cool to have a thin tablet that did computing and web browsing too along with being able to download e-books....

 

[Vulpinemac]

I've had 12" PowerBook, 15" MBP, 13" MBA and i would not endure a 10" widescreen tablet/subnotebook.

Anyhow - apple is not releasing anything for a niche. It will be for the mass market. And it really has to have a keyboard. There is no point in releasing an increased size iphone/touch-brother without a keyboard. that is the only shortcoming for a productivity tool.

I think you're wrong on many counts.

First off, you've proven that you have no concept of how a tablet would be used since you've already had three different laptops and say you couldn't endure a tablet. In fact, the one thing this device doesn't need is a keyboard. This thing in no way is going to have a conventional sub-notebook form factor. To insist on such when even you admit they're essentially useless only shows how little you really understand Apple.

On the other hand, a functional 'virtual' keyboard large enough to allow 'touch typing' on the multi-touch screen could be exactly what it needs; and based on the iPhone OS3, looks like that's what we're going to get.

Multiple questions have come up about the OS, and one analysis made it quite clear that the iPhone OS is as much a flavor of UNIX as OS X itself. Based on that, it's conceivably possible that if this thing runs a full OS X, then maybe the iPhone OS3 will be its 'Dashboard,' thus giving you the best of both worlds. We'll just have to see.

 

[macFanDave]

Two Tablets?

Two Tablets?!?! These won't be presented by Steve Jobs in Cupertino.

Look for a special event at Mount Sinai from which Moses brings down the Two Tablets.

He'll also bring the Holy Grail and the Twelfth Imam just for giggles.

 

[jbellanca]

And it really has to have a keyboard. There is no point in releasing an increased size iphone/touch-brother without a keyboard. that is the only shortcoming for a productivity tool.

LOL, this strikes me as funny. I see this at work all the time. They're people that NEED a keyboard, and there's people that use a keyboard when they have to (for lots of long typing) but would prefer to NOT have one for most other tasks or for short notetaking/occasional input. And it's hard for the "I need a keyboard" people to understand the other side.

 

[peterdevries]

Does anyone think these tablets might compete with the Kindle and other devices? It would be way cool to have a thin tablet that did computing and web browsing too along with being able to download e-books....

I personally think/hope this would be one of the killer features.

As for the Kindle. I think Amazon introduced a fine product for the current market, but people will expect more functionality in the future from something like this. Magazine subscriptions will only take off as e-books when a color version will come available. People expect meda-rich applications and the e-paper cannot do this (yet).

In addition, the convergence of consumer electronics makes it a logical step that internet browsing, movie watching, music listening and reading will come available on a portable device that is larger than a phone, but smaller and easier to handle than the clamshell shape of a laptop.

If Apple doesn't do it, someone else will. The tech is here, the market is here, the media to populate it is here. It is time.

 

[twoodcc]

now this sounds great! i hope they both come out next month!

 

[sam10685]

Lets not forget the rumors that will be coming about the "tablet nano"!!!!

That's almost an oxymoron.

 

[jbellanca]

I personally think/hope this would be one of the killer features.

As for the Kindle. I think Amazon introduced a fine product for the current market, but people will expect more functionality in the future from something like this. Magazine subscriptions will only take off as e-books when a color version will come available. People expect meda-rich applications and the e-paper cannot do this (yet).

In addition, the convergence of consumer electronics makes it a logical step that internet browsing, movie watching, music listening and reading will come available on a portable device that is larger than a phone, but smaller and easier to handle than the clamshell shape of a laptop.

If Apple doesn't do it, someone else will. The tech is here, the market is here, the media to populate it is here. It is time.

Totally agree with you here, 100%. And I think Amazon would be OK with the Apple device, too - they'll all but admitted the Kindle is really just a vehicle for them to sell ebooks, they don't really even care what reader people use.

 

[TheSlush]

The bigger the better! A 6-inch screen would not be differentiated enough from the current iPhone/iPod touch.

 

[Stately]

Tablet pro . . or no go. Sooo . . ? C'mon Apple, stop the games already. I'm tired of this and my B-day is in September.

 

[keihin]

Tablet Voltron

Well, of course there are two.

And they will dock together to form Tablet Voltron.

The larger tablet runs OSX, the smaller one is basically an iPod Touch XL. The larger one has a foldout lip, with split hardware keyboard. In between the left and right keyboard halves the smaller tablet docks in to provide a display-capable, multi-touch trackpad. They sync, they charge, they get it done.

Tablet Voltron. You heard it here first.

 

[uptherighttree]

i'm sorry but with the amount of rumours about the bloody tablet mac that i'm actually losing interest in it.

i'd love it if one came out provided it wasn't a large ipod touch and was better than an air

but for the moment it's killing me with all this fuss, i'd love the surprise that there is one but we've been aware of how many rumours just don't turn to reality.

 

[mdriftmeyer]

Doesn't sound like Apple at all. I don't see them releasing 2 similar devices running totally different OS's.

The 10" running OS X sounds about right though.

iPhone OS and OS X 10.6 for the 6 and 10 respectively isn't a difficulty.

 

[feflower]

I've had 12" PowerBook, 15" MBP, 13" MBA and i would not endure a 10" widescreen tablet/subnotebook.

Anyhow - apple is not releasing anything for a niche. It will be for the mass market. And it really has to have a keyboard. There is no point in releasing an increased size iphone/touch-brother without a keyboard. that is the only shortcoming for a productivity tool.

I have to agree that a 10" screen is not good for heavy academic work. I work at home with 2 screens on my macpro. But if I want a portable, I want it REALLY portable: basically want is a "glorified typewriter".

If you are student and your only computer is a 10" netbook, well...good luck.

I use academic software such as Sente, Devonthink, etc on one screen and my word processor on the other: this is where the double 22" screens are really needed. I do heavy research at home, but outside, I mainly write from my head, proofread my essays, brainstorm, jotting down notes, etc. I do not see myself using much else other than a word processor outside of the home. (right now I go old-school, write things on paper).

I guess you have to know yourself. I've come to realize that if it is a little inconvenient to carry, I'd rather not carry it.

I really hope this is a protoype of a touch-screen 10"netbook.

 

[Love]

I'm just excited to see how people will find ways to complain about this one.

 

[Marx55]

Mac OS X inside and video-out port on a 300 to 600 g small device tablet. That is all needed for success. The iPod touch is too limited with its crippled OS inside.

The MacBook Air is too heavy and large, besides being port-limited.

Or bring a MacBook Air mini at 1/4 the MacBook Air size, no more than 600 g and with real independent ports: video-out, Ethernet, Firewire, USB2, SD card.

Or bring them all: iPod TABLET, Mac TABLET and MacBook TABLET. This is certainly the best approach, for anyone to get any of them.

 

[ob81]

I call BS on this.
WTF would someone use a 6'' tablet for that they don't use their iPod touch for?

I feel the same way. I am hoping that it has OSX of some form and really isn't that related to the operation of the iTouch/iPhone.

6" is lame also. The 10 seems more realistic. I don't need a 6" tablet and an iPhone.